Old Friend
by princess-katie
Summary: Oneshot. Alice Longbottom's school friend often visits her friend, but knows Alice doesn't recognise her anymore.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter. It is strictly the property of JKR.**

**Author's Note: The character from whose point of view this is does not really exist - was just made up by me.**

Recollections

As most people did, Amanda Lyons had had a best friend when growing up. From their very first day at Hogwarts, she and Alice Fawning - who later became Alice Longbottom - were the best of friends.

They were inseperable, and Amanda was thrilled in 6th year when Alice _finally _got together with long-term crush Frank Longbottom - they were _perfect _for each other, after all.

After school, Frank and Alice began training to become Aurors, whilst Amanda trained ot be a Heraler, for St Mungo's.

The wedding happened quickly, and she was Alice's bridesmaid. It was there that she got together with her boyfriend, Benjy, who was Frank's best friend, and best man.

Dumbledore set up the Order of the Phoenix, and they all joined up at once to fight for the cause.

When Alice fell pregnant with the couple's first child, in October 1979, Amanda was so pleased for her. Upon the birth of the child, she was immediately asked to be Neville's godmother.

With the war growing more and more ferocious, Benjy asked his girlfriend to do him the honour of becoming Mrs Fenwick, before anything happened to either of them.

They married a month after Neville's birth. The wedding was low key - Frank and Alice were there, as were other people that they knew from th Order - the Potters, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Moody, Dumbledore, Caradoc, Edgar, Marlene, amongst others.

Two months later, Amanda was working a late night at St Mungo's. Benjy had gone out on a mission with Caradoc Dearborn, and Amanda was glad to be working - she hated sitting around at home and worrying about him.

She was still working when Frank showed up.

He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her to a seat kindly, his brown eyes shining with sorrow. He informed her that it had gone wrong. Benjy had been killed. They only found bits of him. Caradoc's body was missing, but he was presumed dead.

Amanda cried in Frank's chest for a long time, mourning her new husband, before Frank took her to his house, where Alice hugged her friend and made her a drink. Amanda sat in kitchen, arms wrapped around herself, whilst her friends tried to comfort her.

Months later, more bad news came. Amanda was working another late night - work seemed all she did, when she wasn't helping the Order, or cooing over her Godson.

She was shocked to the core when both Alice and Frank were brought into the department she worked in - fourth flor. Spell damage.

It broke her heart when it became apparent that Alice and Frank were insane. The torture had been too much, and they would spend the rest of their lives in St Mungo's.

Only a week later, the news of Lily and James Potter's death came, along with Voldemort's defeat at the hands of young Harry Potter.

When Frank's mother took Neville in, Amanda knew it was for the best. But she loved that little boy, and spent as much time as possible with him.

When the 2nd war came, Amanda re-joined the Order, but this time it was for vengence. For Franks and Alice, for thre Potters, for the other memebrs of the Order who had died, and for her last husband. Moody, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius were still there.

But by the end of the war, Moody, Remus and Sirius were all gone.

Neville was thankfully unharmed. Amanda was close to her god-son, and very proud of him. He visited her home often, and she remained close to him for the rest of their days. She was fond of his wife Hannah, and welled up with tears when he named their first child Alice Amanda Longbottom.

For the rest of her career at St Mungo's, Amanda would always go to visit Frank and Alice when she was the time.

Alice had always been her best friend.

Frank had always been the brother she never had.

And she loved them both.

Sometimes, Amanda would sit beside Alice, brushing her stringy hair away from her face and looking into the vacant eyes. She tried to look for a spark of recognition, but there was nothing. Alice was gone, and there was nothing she could do to chnge that. Alice would never remember her.

And whilst it was true that Alice wasn't aware of most things, she had a very little piece of something left.

Which was why many, many years later, when a long since retired Amanda came to visit her old friends, Alice squeezed the other woman's hand and tried to say something. Something she had heard the people in white coats call the nice lady who visited.

Amanda was grateful, and didn't know at that time that this was the final time she would visit her friends, before she was reunited with her Benjy.


End file.
